This invention relates generally to computer pointing devices, and more particularly to one-button mice for computer systems.
Computer systems having graphical user interfaces (GUI) are typically provided with some form of pointing device which controls a cursor on the computer screen. This cursor can be used to point to various objects on the screen, such as windows, word objects, graphical objects, etc. Once a desired object has been pointed to, a button, switch, gesture, or other input mechanism is used to cause the computer system to perform an act upon the selected object.
One of the most common types of pointing devices is the computer mouse. Other types of pointing devices can be functionally equivalent to the mouse. For example, track balls, slide-bars (such as used on some Hewlett Packard computer systems), joy sticks, input tablets, touch screens, etc. can all perform pointing functions. All of these pointing devices have the common denominator of providing input coordinates (typically x,y or "Cartesian" coordinates) related to some reference surface into the computer system to allow the computer system to position the cursor accordingly on the screen.
As mentioned previously, the computer mouse is likely the most common form of such pointing devices. A computer mouse includes a housing movable over a reference surface, and some form of tracking mechanism coupled to the housing to provide positional coordinates relative to the reference surface to the computer system. The tracking mechanism can be of many types including mechanical tracking mechanisms and optical tracking mechanisms. The most common tracking mechanism for mice is the mechanical tracking mechanism in which a ball rolls over the reference surface and two or more sensors detect the rolling of the ball to develop the positional coordinates.
Computer mice are typically provided with one or more buttons so that when the cursor is properly positioned on the screen the object indicted by the cursor acted upon. By providing multiple buttons (e.g., two or more buttons), additional multiple functions can be, perhaps, more easily accomplished with the mouse. For example, one of the multiple buttons can be a simple "click" button, and the other button can be a "lock" button which locks when first pressed by the user, and unlocks when pressed by the user for a second time. This locking button of a multi-button mouse can be very useful in that an object can be selected and manipulated without the user continuously holding down a mouse button.
There is, however, a problem with multi-button mice having a locking button is that there is no visual feedback on the screen to let the user know that the button is in the locked state. Therefore, the user may be trying to use a different button of the mouse, only to find that it does not work because the mouse is already in a locked button mode. It sometimes takes experimentation by the user in pressing the various buttons of the mouse to determine exactly which mode the mouse is in. While this may be a minor annoyance, it detracts from the efficient use of the computer system and may cause some accidental data loss if a user, while experimenting with various buttons of the mouse, accidentally modifies or deletes some data or a file.
Another type of mouse uses only a single button. This is the preferred mouse type to be used with the Macintosh.RTM. computer systems of Apple Computer, Inc. One-button mice are simple to use and do not suffer from the ambiguities of multi-button mice. In particular, a user of a Macintosh-style mouse does not have to remember the meaning of the multiple buttons or what state those buttons are in. However, a one-button mouse has the disadvantage of having a more limited number of functions that can be performed by the mouse.
With a Macintosh-style one-button mouse, three basic functions can be performed. A single click of the button will result in the selection of an object, while a rapid double click of the button will cause the activation of the object. For example, a single click on an application program icon will select that application program icon, and a double click on the application program icon will activate the application program. In a third mode, the button is pressed and held down by the user, to put the cursor in a "drag" mode which can drag windows and other objects around the computer screen.
While the current Macintosh-style mouse does not provide for a locked button function, is contemplated that such a function might be desirable. However, the single-button preference for Macintosh-style mice prohibits the use of a separate, locking button.